Morganatic marriage facts for kids
A morganatic marriage is a special kind of marriage that used to happen a lot in royal families. It's when a royal person, like a prince or princess, marries someone who is not royal. The main rule of a morganatic marriage is that the non-royal husband or wife, and any children they have, do not get the royal titles or special rights (privileges) of the royal spouse.
This means if a prince married a non-royal woman, she would not become a princess or queen. Their children would also not be princes or princesses and would not be in line to inherit the throne. This type of marriage was a way for royals to marry for love, but still keep the royal family's power and titles within the royal bloodline.
Morganatic marriages are not very common anymore. They were sometimes called a left-handed marriage. This is because in the wedding ceremony, the groom would often hold his bride's right hand with his left hand instead of his right. This was a symbol to show that the marriage was different from a regular royal marriage.
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Why Morganatic Marriages Happened
Protecting Royal Status
Royal families often wanted to keep their power and special status very strong. They believed that marrying other royals helped them do this. But sometimes, a royal person fell in love with someone who was not royal. A morganatic marriage allowed them to marry that person without changing the rules of who could inherit the throne or hold royal titles.
Keeping the Line of Succession Clear
The line of succession is the order in which people are supposed to become the next king or queen. Morganatic marriages helped keep this line clear. By making sure that children from these marriages could not inherit the throne, it avoided arguments or confusion about who should rule next. It also stopped non-royal families from gaining too much influence in the royal court.
Famous Examples of Morganatic Marriages
Tsar Alexander II of Russia
One well-known example of a morganatic marriage was that of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. After his first wife died, he married Princess Catherine Dolgorukova. She was not of royal birth.
Marriage to Princess Catherine Dolgorukova
Tsar Alexander II and Princess Catherine Dolgorukova had children together. However, because their marriage was morganatic, Princess Catherine did not become Empress, and their children did not have claims to the Russian throne. This showed how the rules of morganatic marriages worked in practice, even for a powerful ruler like a Tsar.
Morganatic Marriages Today
Today, morganatic marriages are very rare. Many royal families have changed their rules about marriage. They now allow royals to marry non-royals without losing their titles or place in the line of succession. This is a sign of how royal traditions have changed over time.
Images for kids
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Tsar Alexander II
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Princess Catherine Dolgorukova
See also
In Spanish: Matrimonio morganático para niños
